Artist Required
by Loopstagirl
Summary: Virgil didn't want to spend his last summer before college working. Although this job isn't exactly what he thought he was signing up for.


_Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights belong to their respective owners._

_Thanks to Angel-Sue for having a read through for me!_

_So... I'm only late by what, three weeks? Happy (very belated) birthday, Bee!_

* * *

Virgil glanced down at the piece of paper in his hand before looking back at the door in front of him. He didn't want to go in, but knew that he didn't have a choice. His grandmother had made it quite clear she was not going to let him waste his entire summer vacation sitting around doing nothing. Virgil had tried to argue his case and make her see that working on his art or composing was not wasting his time. This might be his last chance of doing it, especially with moving to Denver once fall came.

He was looking forward to college, but he knew that as the time drew closer, he would be nervous. He had become used to being the eldest one at home. He had always wondered how Scott and John had managed to get them all to do as they were told. But it was as if power just transferred, for as soon as John left, Gordon and Alan had both started listening to Virgil. It had been great to see just how far that would stretch when John had first moved, but now Virgil was just grateful it meant they didn't come barging into his room when the door was shut. However, Virgil knew that once he got to college, he would be just like everyone else, struggling to fit in and hoping he had made the right decision.

It meant a summer of just relaxing was precisely what he had been after in order to brace himself for what was about to come. He was going to visit both Scott and John before spending some promised time with his younger brothers. He knew that his father had approved of that plan, but then his grandmother had stepped in. Upon finding out that his father would be the one financing his travels, Grandma had decided that it was about time Virgil handled his own money and she wanted him to find a job for the summer instead. Virgil knew she wasn't against him going to visit his big brothers – she was the one who always claimed that family came first, after all – but she wanted him to be the one in control of it all rather than relying on his father. If it had been any other occasion, Virgil would have welcomed the fact she was seeing he was growing up.

But this was his last summer with all of his friends before they moved away, and he knew for a fact Scott was eager to show him around where he was now living. Instead of being able to truly relax and do what he wanted to do, Virgil had found himself job hunting. He didn't really try to begin with, just scouring the internet whenever she asked him how it was going, pretending to not have any luck while not really trying.

He should have known he wouldn't be able to get that past his grandmother. She seemed to know almost immediately he wasn't being exactly truthful about his progress and pulled his father into the situation. There was a big business deal happening with his father and the man had been distracted, meaning he merely asked Virgil a few questions that revealed just how little searching his son had actually done and made his grandmother fully aware that he wasn't trying. Virgil had tried to argue that he didn't want to spend his last summer working down at the store when he could be drawing. He even tried claiming that he was working on some commissioned pieces so he was still earning, but of course she hadn't fallen for that.

Then the true search had begun, but it was Gordon who – to Virgil's surprise – stepped in and saved the day. He had seen a leaflet in town about an artist being needed. Knowing what the situation was (it was a little hard to miss considering Virgil's attempts at arguing his way out of the situation), the younger boy had picked it up and brought it home. Virgil hadn't even truly been given the chance to look at it before his grandmother had swooped it and taken it out of his hand.

As soon as she had seen that an artist was required and that it was paid, Virgil knew he had no choice. If he was honest, it could have been a lot worse. At least he should enjoy it, once he got started. It was just going to be the getting started part that was awkward. He hated painting in front of other people, just as he hated playing for others. He liked to be able to lose himself in his craft and tended to do just that, having no idea what was going on around him until something – normally in the form of a little brother – brought him forcibly out of it. He had no idea what this job was going to entail, but he just assumed it would be a series of commissions or something along those lines. How else did someone hire an artist and give them an exact location and time?

Virgil's biggest worry was inspiration. What if they asked him to paint something by a set time and his mind went blank? He had learnt the hard way that trying to force it never worked. Would they fire him or just not pay him if he couldn't come up with anything fast enough? His grandmother had taken the leaflet from him, leaving him with just a piece of paper telling him where and when. If he was honest, Virgil was insulted. He knew that she thought he would try and get in contact with them and cancel the job if she left the details with him. He couldn't believe that was how she thought of him.

He was never going to tell _her_ the thought had crossed his mind.

But now the moment had come. He had the option of not going in, but he knew that was being silly. It would be nice to have his own money, and it was a job doing what he loved. He knew the last job Scott had had he had hated. It could have been a lot worse, and the chances were they wouldn't be expecting him to come up with something on the spot. It was going to be fine, all he had to do was open the door.

Taking a deep breath, Virgil forced himself to press down on the handle and let the door swing open. He shifted his bag further onto his shoulder and walked in, looking around as he did so. He could hear the murmur of voices coming from down a corridor on his left, yet no one could be seen near the entrance. Deciding that was a good place to start as any, Virgil forced his nerves to disappear as he began approaching the voices. He didn't recognise the building or where he was. It was on the outskirts of town, in the opposite direction that he usually went in. He knew the chances were that he wouldn't know anyone here and that made him feel better.

It meant that if it all went wrong, he never had to come back or even face those people again. But at the same time, it did make him pause. What if he wasn't good enough compared to the others and they decided that they didn't need him?

"Virgil?" The voice – although increasing his nerves – stopped Virgil from turning and running out of the building again. He glanced up to see a kindly, middle-aged woman staring at him from down the corridor. She was hovering in a doorway and Virgil could only assume that was where the rest of the voices were coming from. He forced a smile on his face and approached.

"You didn't have any trouble finding the place, did you?"

"No, Ma'am." Virgil stopped in front of her and found that he was squirming. She was giving him a very strange look, her eyes running up and down his body in a way that made him flush.

"Do you work out?"

"No… I mean… not really?" Virgil hated how tentative he sounded. He didn't know what answer she wanted to hear but felt relieved when she smiled at him.

"It's understandable to be nervous. I understand this is your first time doing something like this? You should have seen me on my first time, I…."

"Let the man go and set up, Victoria." Another woman appeared and Virgil immediately straightened up. She had to be early twenties, maybe around Scott's age, with long blonde hair and blue eyes that seemed to sparkle at him. Virgil forced his nerves down.

"Virgil," he offered out his hand and tried to make himself sound confident as she shook it with a small smile.

"Sarah. There is a room just across the hall for you to get ready in. You can leave the robe on until we begin if you are a little cold, but other than that, just underwear, please. We're waiting for you whenever you are ready."

The door shut behind the two women and Virgil was left blinking at it, completely confused. What on earth did they mean by that? He leant closer to the door, frowning when he realised it was only females he could hear the other side. Knowing that he wouldn't get any answers unless he did as they asked. Taking small steps, he crossed the corridor and let himself into another room. There was a coat stand and a wrack with hangers on it, but other than that, the room was bare. Apart from the painting adorning the walls, that was.

Virgil slowly put down his bag as he stared. They were all of people.

All of people wearing very little.

And they had asked him to…

"Oh my god."

Virgil stumbled back towards the door as he realised what it was they were wanting an artist for. He wasn't here to paint for someone. He was here to _be _painted. By a room full of women while he wore nothing but his underwear.

Something told him that his grandmother hadn't read the small print when she had forced him to apply. A somewhat hysterical laugh escaped him when he thought about how he was going to tell her precisely what the job had entailed. Virgil continued to back up, only turning when he felt the door handle digging into his back. He pulled it open, intending to walk across the hall and simply informing them that he wasn't able to do this.

But as the door opened, someone let out a small yelp of surprise on the other side and Virgil found himself face to face with Sarah. She instantly glanced down, seemed to realise what she had done and looked him straight in the eye.

"Do you need anything?"

"I…" Virgil stared at her. She was gorgeous, and completely out of his league. Not only was she older, she also was apparently an artist. It was Scott who had always had all the luck with the girls and Virgil knew he wanted to take after his brother. John had just found the whole thing amusing, but Virgil had been jealous.

But now…

Now Virgil could get his own back.

Scott had certainly never had a chance with someone older than him.

And his brother had never taken his clothes off on the first meeting. At least, not that he had ever told Virgil and if he was honest, there were some things that Virgil simply didn't want to know.

Grinning, Virgil smiled at her.

"No, sorry. Everything is fine, I won't be a moment." He pulled back into the room and quickly shut the door, unbuckling his belt as he did so.

It was his turn to be the envy of his brothers.

TBTBTB

"So, how was it, sweetheart?" Virgil didn't answer for a moment, too busy groaning in appreciation at the sight of the fully laden plate in front of him. It was only after he had taken a couple of mouthfuls did he look up at his grandmother.

"Fine," he said innocently, completely straight-faced. "The people are really nice and the pay is good."

"So you admit that it was good to find yourself a job? Will you go back tomorrow?"

"Of course, Grandma," Virgil shot her a disarming smile and the old lady smiled back. There was just the smallest tendril of guilt swirling inside his stomach for not being completely honest with her. But she had got what she wanted; her grandson earning his own money and being out from under her feet all day. And if he was honest, he had got what he wanted. Earning while being complimented on his physique all day by a roomful of women.

"What did you have to do?" Gordon asked and Virgil turned his attention onto his little brother. He frowned at the grin Gordon was clearly fighting to keep off his face and just like that, Virgil knew his brother had known all along what the job entailed. Unlike their grandmother, he had read the small print and that had been why he had brought it home. Virgil settled back, crossing his ankles casually and raising an eyebrow at his brother. Gordon was still at the age where he was vehemently denying that he was beginning to find girls interesting, especially if Alan was in the room. He clearly thought getting his brother a job like that would be a way of humiliating Virgil.

"You wouldn't understand," Virgil answered smoothly, his own answering smirk on his face.

"But…"

"Let your brother eat, Gordon. He has been working all day."

"Thanks, Dad. Yeah, Gordon, some of us have to earn our keep. It was rather strenuous…."

Gordon spluttered around his mouthful of food as he inhaled at the wrong time and Virgil allowed himself to smirk triumphantly while his father and grandmother were distracted with sorting out his brother. Usually, Gordon certainly knew the best pranks to play on them all in order to get the best results. But for the first time ever, Virgil knew the age gap between them had just completely backfired on his little brother.

The rest of the meal passed fairly uneventfully. Gordon spent the entire thing trying to get Virgil to admit that he hadn't been there as an artist, but as a model. Virgil, however, managed to deflect and ask Alan about school. His youngest brother still found it exciting and it was a guaranteed way to stop all other conversation for a while as he rambled on about the science project he was doing and how he was going to show it to John when the older boy next came home. There was indulgent smiles on both his father and grandmother's faces, but Gordon was glaring at him from across the table, more than aware of what Virgil had just done.

The true benefits of now having a job came when they were finished and the two younger ones were made to clear the table, Virgil being allowed to escape to his room as he had spent all day working anyway. He didn't need telling twice and quickly made his escape up the stairs, switching on his computer as soon as he got in.

It didn't take long until he was patching through a call to his oldest brother.

For once, Scott was going to have to listen to him talking about his day. And for possibly the first time that Virgil could remember, it would be Scott left squirming in envy rather than his younger brother.

Virgil couldn't wait.


End file.
